Mighty Wise Academyhttp://mightywisemedia.com
Your Virtual Academy For EntrepreneurshipSat, 07 Feb 2015 20:55:58 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.1Your Virtual Academy For EntrepreneurshipMighty Wise AcademynoYour Virtual Academy For EntrepreneurshipMighty Wise Academyhttp://mightywisemedia.com/wp-content/plugins/powerpress/rss_default.jpghttp://mightywisemedia.com
Entrepreneurship 101: Your Blueprint For A Successful Startuphttp://mightywisemedia.com/entrepreneurship-101-your-blueprint-for-a-successful-startup/
http://mightywisemedia.com/entrepreneurship-101-your-blueprint-for-a-successful-startup/#respondSat, 07 Feb 2015 20:55:58 +0000http://mightywisemedia.com/?p=5478Many aspiring entrepreneurs I cross have it wrong. They believe building a wildly successful business will just happen with a snap of the fingers. As if out of nowhere, a good genie in the sky will appear to bless their idea and suddenly fill their bank account with billions.
Time to wake up.
After playing this game for over 30 years, I can say one thing: building a successful business in theory is very simple, as I will show below.
However, execution falls into a whole other dimension. Call it the ‘eye-popping, hair-pulling, I can’t believe how hard this is’ state of reality.
But, if you can do the following 5 things well, I’d place a bet on your bank account:
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Many aspiring entrepreneurs I cross have it wrong. They believe building a wildly successful business will just happen with a snap of the fingers. As if out of nowhere, a good genie in the sky will appear to bless their idea and suddenly fill their bank account with billions.

Time to wake up.

After playing this game for over 30 years, I can say one thing: building a successful business in theory is very simple, as I will show below.

However, execution falls into a whole other dimension. Call it the ‘eye-popping, hair-pulling, I can’t believe how hard this is’ state of reality.

But, if you can do the following 5 things well, I’d place a bet on your bank account:

Care

Wait–before we begin, let’s get clear on where you need to focus during this entire lifetime of entrepreneurship. And please, don’t ever let anyone steer you differently. Fixate those eyes squarely on your customer. Period.

Okay, so now that we’re on the same page, listen carefully–

You must start with a deep passion to serve them. It’s your purpose. And it burns from within because you care about them. I mean really care. Not just some brush off statement, but a deep empathy. Not just in it for the bucks, but in it to serve a calling.

Those entrepreneurs who truly care for who they serve usually win the long-game. Seth Goldman at Honest Tea. Blake Mycoskie at TOMS Shoes. Tony Hsieh (pronounced “shay”) at Zappos. Each cares deeply about, wait for it–their customer. And it shows in the success of their businesses.

So fall in love with your customer. And if you can’t? You better find somebody else to love.

Connect

Since you now have a deep passion for who you serve, next up calls for you to get out of your chair, walk through the front door of your work space, and get out in the streets to have real dialogue with them. Amazes me still how many struggling entrepreneurs have never made an effort to truly connect with their customer. And they wonder why they struggle…

Bottom line? Get to know them. Ask them about their deepest fears, and their most vivid aspirations. And then listen to their answers. Hear them. Feel them.

Believe me–inside the soul of the person we call our customer hangs the key to our success. It’s right there on the hook. All you have to do is care enough to connect with them and go get it.

Create

“But wait?”, you may ask, “When do we talk about the products and services I have to offer?”

Let me share a story with you. It’s about a woman who just spent her life savings building an online software product. Took her 3 years. Afterwhich, she launched it to the world. Only nobody cared. Nobody wants it.

Sadly, many entrepreneurs I meet madly build products, messaging, and services to attempt to wow customers they’ve never actually met. Never connected with.

Notice where we stick the ‘create’ verb in this process? Yes–only after you connect with them are you allowed to build anything. And even then, do it lean. Think minimally. And for goodness sake, involve your customers in the process. Ask them for input along the way. Adjust accordingly until you have something they can’t live without. Don’t worry about being perfect along the way. Your customers will help you make it perfect–to fit them and their needs.

And this applies not only to your products, but the way in which you communicate the value of those products. Your messaging. Your story. Your value.

Convince

By now, if you’re engaged in dialogue with your potential customers, and you’re creating remarkable products, value propositions, and messaging which match their needs, then it should be fairly easy to move to the next step. Yes–convincing them to simply buy from you.

In fact, this reminds me of a quote by Robert Stephens, founder of the Geek Squad, which pretty much wraps this notion up in a tidy little bow. He said:

“Marketing is the price you pay for being unremarkable.”

Ouch. Time to make sure we care, connect, and create the right stuff (remarkable) so it makes the convincing easier…

Coddle

Finally, the day has arrived to blow them out of the water with your service. Clate Mask, co-founder and CEO of Infusionsoft, calls it ‘the wow factor.’ I call it coddling.

But no matter how you spell it, the fact remains–you must work your tail off to keep your customer happy. You know it. I know it. Look outside your window to see a fast paced, ever changing, ‘grass is greener on the other side of the fence’, world. One where a competitor will think of nothing but how to swipe your fickle customer away.

So coddle. Exceed expectations. Go beyond the call of duty to turn your customer into your loyal friend. Your evangelist. For life.

So is this the end? Of course not. As you can see in the image below, head back up to the beginning. Start with care and go through it again. You see, when you do this, you continue to innovate. You continue to focus on what matters, and you’re constantly reminded of why you do what you do.

Call it the circle of success. Round and round you go. But as I said in the beginning, I am betting on your bank account when you follow these 5 simple strategies. See you at the teller window.

]]>http://mightywisemedia.com/entrepreneurship-101-your-blueprint-for-a-successful-startup/feed/09 Ways To Immediately Improve Your Brandhttp://mightywisemedia.com/9-ways-to-immediately-improve-your-brand/
http://mightywisemedia.com/9-ways-to-immediately-improve-your-brand/#respondFri, 23 Jan 2015 03:28:42 +0000http://mightywisemedia.com/?p=5472As seen on Forbes.I’m starting with the man in the mirror… I’m asking him to change his ways…
Michael Jackson probably didn’t have entrepreneurial brand strategies in mind when he was crooning this song. Still, the lyrics dive right into the heart of branding.
Yes–it all starts by looking in the mirror.
That’s why I sat down with expert brand strategist Justin Foster, author of Oatmeal vs. Bacon: How to Differentiate in a Generic World, to gain some insight. Justin shares what we entrepreneurs must focus on—and why.
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Like it or not, we’ve transcended the Information Age. Welcome to the social business era, characterized by a growing transparency (some of it unintended) that is revolutionizing the way we do business. “There’s now a distinct overlap—maybe even a full convergence—between three things that used to be separate,” says Justin. “Your brand, your culture, and your leadership style.”

First survival tip: comprehend these blurred lines.

2. Do understand the convergence between personal and professional.

“For leaders (certainly entrepreneurs), their personal brand is an integral part of their business brand; their business is a manifestation of what they believe in: their values, goals, and dreams,” explains Justin. It begins with you. Your leadership style (personal brand) is reflected in the business you create and in the teams you choose, which collectively form the culture of your company. In turn, this culture becomes your brand.

3. Don’t forget that the fish rots from the head down.

According to Justin, “Every bad brand decision is a bad leadership decision.” Leadership goes hand-in-hand with accountability. You’re not just leading by example; you’re the embodiment of your business. The face. Publicity is a magnifying glass, especially in the business world, so who you are gets amplified. If you’re a good person, that’s a tremendous brand advantage in Justin’s book: “Every story, from a customer experience to a successful PR or branding campaign, [can be] traced back to being a good person.” Just another reminder that nice guys can finish first.

4. Do work from the inside-out.

Successful brands, Justin tells me, are built “from intrinsic value (what you think about yourself) to extrinsic value (how you’re perceived in the marketplace).” In many ways, your business is an extension of yourself. Adding a little extra something to your morning oatmeal ramps up the appeal, right? Just so, branding is all about amplifying your traits and talents to appeal to the marketplace. Many people force an outside-in approach to change… which is where they lose their sense of self. Don’t do it. Instead, start from within.

5. Don’t lose your confidence.

“Ever met a sniper or a professional bull rider?” Justin asks. (Since I live in Oregon, I get to say “yes” to the latter.) Typically small, wiry, and quiet, these people’s trade value is their intrinsic value—an unshakeable self-confidence and surety. Confidence emerges from self-belief. “It’s hard to be different,” he points out. “But it’s even harder to be authentic if you don’t believe in yourself.”

6. Do be passionate, different, and authentic.

According to Justin, branding is the alchemy of three key ingredients: talent, uniqueness, and authenticity. He defines “talent” as a fusion of passion and skill. We’re all great at something. When we tap into that talent and immerse it in uniqueness and authenticity, we build our brand from the inside-out. “The most successful [people] have a fire in their belly. They have this conviction that they’re doing what they were born to do.”

Passion fuels their purpose.

Paired with conviction and confidence is the willingness to be different—and authentic. Think Muhammad Ali. Think Seth Godin. “[Be] a little bit of an outlaw, a little bit of an oddity,” Justin encourages. “It’s got to be real. And I believe everybody is a bit weird. In fact, I think it’s a little weird that somebody’s not weird, like they’re covering something up.” Embrace that which makes you different. Essentially, your very uniqueness becomes your brand.

7. Don’t try to please everybody.

The biggest pitfall in branding, Justin tells me, comes from ‘people pleasing.’ In other words, trying to please everyone. “A lot of entrepreneurs believe that they have to serve everybody. If being yourself doesn’t rub somebody the wrong way, there’s something off.”

I agree. Apart from it being impossible to create a message or solution that caters to everyone on the planet, it’d be untrue to you. You can’t do that while still being unique and authentic. Being your own person means that you’ll naturally repel some people. And yes—that’s exactly how it should be.

Winston Churchill’s take on it is my favorite: “You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something in your life.”

8. Do rattle people’s emotions.

A successful brand rouses emotion. It’s riveting. Yes, even controversial. Brand strategists seek to trigger emotional responses from our right brain, the limbic, primal portion of our minds. A bit of controversy should be inevitable. Brand wars such as Apple vs. Microsoft have staunch supporters on each side. Justin summarizes it perfectly: “If you cannot generate emotion, there is no brand.”

9. Don’t eliminate all boundaries.

In this social network era of transparency, the lines between our professional and personal circles of life are rearranging themselves in an almost eclipsed Venn Diagram, featuring plenty of overlap. As entrepreneurs, we can use this to our advantage by using our personal brands as the cornerstone for our business brands. There are no “rules” for where your company brand ends and your personal brand begins, Justin reminds me, but there are certainly limits. Character and emotional intelligence are what will stop you from oversharing or sharing the wrong information. Be smart, be courageous, be you.

Today and every day, start with the person in the mirror.

]]>http://mightywisemedia.com/9-ways-to-immediately-improve-your-brand/feed/0The 4 Levels of Competence — With 2 That Entrepreneurs Must Avoidhttp://mightywisemedia.com/the-4-levels-of-competence-with-2-that-entrepreneurs-must-avoid/
http://mightywisemedia.com/the-4-levels-of-competence-with-2-that-entrepreneurs-must-avoid/#respondThu, 22 Jan 2015 02:19:50 +0000http://mightywisemedia.com/?p=5469As seen on Entrepreneur
Wow. Once again I watched an entrepreneur step off a cliff, straight into the abyss of certain business doom.
And the sad part? He didn't even know it.
In my role as founder and CEO of Mighty Wise, a company providing resources for entrepreneurs, I interact every day with dozens of business owners. Many realize their shortcomings and work hard to overcome them. Others experience the dire fate of deer caught in the headlights.
Let me explain. Basically there are four levels of competence for people, a theory developed at Gordon Training International by its employee Noel Burch in the 1970s. For entrepreneurs, two of these levels rock, and two don’t.
Where do you fall across this spectrum described below?
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Wow. Once again I watched an entrepreneur step off a cliff, straight into the abyss of certain business doom.

And the sad part? He didn't even know it.

In my role as founder and CEO of Mighty Wise, a company providing resources for entrepreneurs, I interact every day with dozens of business owners. Many realize their shortcomings and work hard to overcome them. Others experience the dire fate of deer caught in the headlights.

Let me explain. Basically there are four levels of competence for people, a theory developed at Gordon Training International by its employee Noel Burch in the 1970s. For entrepreneurs, two of these levels rock, and two don’t.

Where do you fall across this spectrum described below?

1. Unconsciously incompetent.

Some people maintain a "you don’t know what you don’t know" state of existence. It's otherwise known as living in the land of doom, living an illusion. Yuck.

It's very dangerous for entrepreneurs to be unconsciously incompetent. Anyone seeking to take a business to the next level simply cannot risk being blindsided.

Stacked on the roadside of business death are the remnants left behind by unconsciously incompetent entrepreneurs. And, yes, they imagined they were on top of the world. And they probably were at one time.

But things change. Business owners operate in a dynamic marketplace. Just pick up Clayton Christensen’s classic, The Innovators Dilemma, and you'll read about company owners who were blindsided.

The next step: Avoid this paradigm by surrounding yourself with trustworthy and wise mentors, coaches and advisors. Everyone has blind spots. So it’s imperative to have people around to point them out. If you have the right advisory network, you can avoid being unconsciously incompetent.

2. Consciously incompetent.

It's quite sad to see an entrepreneur who struggles, recognizes why he or she is struggling but fails to do anything about it. This situation is perhaps the most frustrating and perplexing for outsiders to view.

For example, I’ve mentored many entrepreneurs and helped them realize that one reason for their massive struggles can be found by looking in the mirror. Yes, they have a core dysfunction that needs fixing -- be it lack of leadership, inability to communicate or shortcomings in time management.

And when they’re made aware of the weak link and given the resources to fix it? Nothing happens. And thus, they remain stuck, consciously incompetent.

Next step: When someone points out a shortcoming or an area needing fixing (whether it pertains to you or your business), do something about it. Take action. Is this easy to do? No, sometimes it’s not. Trust me. You do not want to be consciously incompetent for long.

3. Consciously competent.

When some individuals become aware of a personal weakness, they decide to do something about it. And then they start improving so it’s no longer a weakness.

Being consciously competent is how most moderately successful entrepreneurs operate. They know their stuff and, if they focus, they can do a pretty good job executing their goals.

Next step: Aim to remain, at a minimum, in this state. If you have a good advisory network, you will consistently receive feedback about weaknesses needing to be addressed. So you’ll naturally move as fast as possible into this state for most of the things you do. But to reach the highest points of success? Aspire to rise to level #4.

4. Unconsciously competent.

Some fortunate people are so good at what they do, they could do it in their sleep. This is the Holy Grail in competency. Call it the Michael Jordan stage, being like a star athlete in his prime, gliding through the air and flying by an opponent with a flawless dunk in the zone.

Most entrepreneurs I’ve seen prevail combine their natural-born talents with the Malcolm Gladwell benchmark of doing 10,000 hours of practice. If this is you, you’re operating at an extremely high level and have the accolades to prove it. Think of Apple's Steve Jobs in his prime.

After these entrepreneurs nail the secret sauce, they repeating their success over and over, becoming unconsciously competent.

Next step: Just keep doing what you’re doing if you're in this state.

Oh, wait a minute. Scratch that. It's far better to aim even higher, to innovate without mercy. Act bolder. Never rest on your laurels. As entrepreneur Glen Tullman once said, “Every day the world turns upside down on someone who thought [he or she was] sitting on top of it."

]]>http://mightywisemedia.com/the-4-levels-of-competence-with-2-that-entrepreneurs-must-avoid/feed/0Walking Through Fire – 7 Lessons from A Life Long Entrepreneur (Interview)http://mightywisemedia.com/walking-through-fire-7-lessons-from-a-life-long-entrepreneur-interview/
http://mightywisemedia.com/walking-through-fire-7-lessons-from-a-life-long-entrepreneur-interview/#respondWed, 21 Jan 2015 00:30:58 +0000http://mightywisemedia.com/?p=5463As seen on Andrew Spence OnlineOne of the great privileges of running this entrepreneurship blog is being able to connect with other entrepreneurs that are making things happen. This article will be the first of my ‘Entrepreneur Insights’ interview series where we will delve into the minds of the business ‘super achievers’.
Entrepreneurs are indeed a unique breed. Many of us hope and dream but the real achievers are simply not satisfied with mere fantasy. One such entrepreneur is Eric T Wagner, life long entrepreneur for 30+ years. Eric has been involved in multiple startups, acquisitions and successful exits in multi million dollars companies. On top of that he is also a successful author and contributing writer for Forbes and Entrepreneur.
I caught up with Eric this week and asked him some questions and got some superb insights on entrepreneurship to share with you:
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One of the great privileges of running this entrepreneurship blog is being able to connect with other entrepreneurs that are making things happen. This article will be the first of my ‘Entrepreneur Insights’ interview series where we will delve into the minds of the business ‘super achievers’.

Entrepreneurs are indeed a unique breed. Many of us hope and dream but the real achievers are simply not satisfied with mere fantasy. One such entrepreneur is Eric T Wagner, life long entrepreneur for 30+ years. Eric has been involved in multiple startups, acquisitions and successful exits in multi million dollars companies. On top of that he is also a successful author and contributing writer for Forbes and Entrepreneur.

I caught up with Eric this week and asked him some questions and got some superb insights on entrepreneurship to share with you:

What skills do you consider are absolutely essential for success as an entrepreneur?

Top 3 Traits:

1. Risk Tolerance — if an entrepreneur sits on the fence afraid to take action, they can forget it. Success does not meander up to the front door and knock. You have to take a certain degree of risk by taking action.

2. Vision — the best entrepreneurs on the planet see things others don’t. Now you don’t have to be a Steve Jobs, but you do have to have some kind of vision to create something different. Which is what entrepreneurship is really all about.

3. Tenacity — having the drive to not quit–to not give up when things get rough–is a must. Believe me, everything rarely goes as planned and failure runs amok. Those who succeed do so by tenaciously pressing on.

How do you maintain focus on a day to day basis to achieve your business goals?

For me, it comes down to first understanding what my top 3 key activities are to move the needle. If I don’t know what these are, then I have nothing to focus on. But once I have these, then it becomes about the discipline to avoid distraction. As an example, writing is a key activity for me to move my brand forward. So when I write, I go to our loft and the house better be burning down for anyone to interrupt me.

If you could go back in time and give one piece of business advice to your younger self, what would it be and why?

I think the biggest mistake I watch entrepreneurs make today is the same I did when I was younger. You get an idea. You lock yourself in a room and build the equivalent of the Taj Mahal. Then you release it to the world–which then slaps you in the face by telling you they don’t care. So it’s these 3 steps instead:

2. Innovation — you take what you learn from your conversations, and then build something on a very small scale. A minimum viable product, as they would refer to it in Silicon Valley.

3. Experimentation — you then take what you’ve built, and go back to that same conversation and say; ‘will this solve your problem? Is this what you were talking about?’

When you do it this way, you continue to get better information (step 1) from which to innovate (step 2), and then further experiment with (step 3). A never ending cycle.

If you could spend an evening socializing with three entrepreneurs (past or present) who would they be and why?

Easy answer and I will just choose one. Steve Jobs. Of course, it seems the likely answer. But as long as he would open up, I’d love to spend time delving into his mind. 100 years from now he will still be the legend in entrepreneurship he is today.

What is the most effective way to grow a profitable business quickly?

Great question. I sat down with Seth Godin last year and asked him why so many entrepreneurs fail. Basically, he said because most are not in it for the long game. They want the quick buck and thus won’t make the right decisions which pay off in the long run.

However, having said that, those entrepreneurs who do find success in scaling their companies do so as follows:

First, they understand what their ‘secret sauce’ is and they don’t try to scale before nailing it. Second, they recruit, build, and leverage good ‘teams’ to focus on scaling their secret sauce. And third, they implement automation and ”repeatable systems’ around that secret sauce. Simple in theory, but of course, not easy to execute…

What advice would you give to an entrepreneur who is experiencing major challenges and setbacks?

Look to the core. So what do I mean by that? Simple. Most entrepreneurs understand their craft, or industry. But where many struggle is in not understanding that entrepreneurship is also a craft. It has certain rules and methodologies to follow. Certain core principles. For example, having an understanding of your business model is key to your success so you know what to focus on. Also, do you have a process for innovation like I described previously (information, innovation, experimentation)? When someone comes to me in trouble with their business, I always get them out of it by drilling down to on their core.

What is your secret to success?

Wow. Tough one to answer. But I think it comes back to the 3 most important elements listed above. My attitude of ‘no fear’ (risk tolerance). My ability to see gaps in the market that other’s don’t (vision). And finally, my sheer resilience to never stay down, even when I’ve been knocked up side the head with a club (tenacity).

]]>http://mightywisemedia.com/walking-through-fire-7-lessons-from-a-life-long-entrepreneur-interview/feed/0A Three-Step Formula On How To Shun Corporate Life To Start Your Own Businesshttp://mightywisemedia.com/a-three-step-formula-on-how-to-shun-corporate-life-to-start-your-own-business/
http://mightywisemedia.com/a-three-step-formula-on-how-to-shun-corporate-life-to-start-your-own-business/#respondTue, 13 Jan 2015 23:28:26 +0000http://mightywisemedia.com/?p=5460Corporate life.
Upon hearing those words, you either jump for joy, or double-over in agony.
If the latter, pull up a chair and take notes because today calls your name.
You see–in a prior article on Julia Beardwood, founder and owner of Beardwood & Co., she shared her ten keys for success in the business world.
But let’s go deeper on her first tip–listen to your gut on when it’s time to jump ship from your job.
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Corporate life.

Upon hearing those words, you either jump for joy, or double-over in agony.

If the latter, pull up a chair and take notes because today calls your name.

But let’s go deeper on her first tip–listen to your gut on when it’s time to jump ship from your job.

Here’s Why.

Julia revolutionized her story when she woke up to how unhappy she was in her old job. You see–she was working for other people’s goals, traveling to achieve other people’s dreams, and spending too much time away from her family. Not good.

Listen–we’re emotional magnets. If you’re miserable, you’ll drag yourself down… along with those closest to you. Taking charge of your own happiness—of your own life—is perhaps the most important thing you’ll ever do.

So what’s in it for you when you grab the reins? Loving what you do leaves you feeling energized, confident, valued, and happy–which leads to vast improvement in your productivity, contribution, and mental health. Call it a self-feeding cycle. Studies show that people who do what they love tend to live happier, more productive lives.

Not a shocker–but answer me this: are you loving what you do?

If not, read on…

Here’s When.

Lurking around many corners lie projects that frighten us and coworkers that irk us and responsibilities that daunt us. There are responsibilities—bills to pay, households to sustain, families to support—which must be fulfilled. But remain realistic with your unhappiness barometer. Would you call it quits on your blissful marriage after a small quarrel? A bad day at work isn’t a reason to trash your job as life is a matter of attitude.

But what if life is stinking up your attitude? Your own misery raises a red flag. Are you sick of stifling your inner dreams and desires? If you often wake up cringing at the thought of the workday ahead, you’ve got a problem. It’s like being with someone who makes you cry more than he or she makes you smile. You’d better rethink that relationship, pronto.

Pursuing your dreams keeps them alive. Your old job (like an ex or a pair of worn sneakers) might make you feel comfortable, but they have nothing more to offer. Switch your living mode from survive to thrive. Humans are happiest when we pursue all of our potential: to learn, grow, and evolve.

The bottom line? If you don’t like your job and are no longer thrilled with working for ‘the man’, start looking for the exit door.

Here’s How.

Define what you want. Einstein said, “If I had only one hour to save the world, I would spend fifty-five minutes defining the problem, and only five minutes finding the solution.” Once you know what you want and commit to it, you have the capability to become unstoppable.

Listen to your heart. Family, your health, your sanity, your purpose in life—there are certain things you shouldn’t compromise. Julia decided motherhood was a priority: “I had a 10- and 14-year-old at home at the time. I was working myself to the bone and feeling like I was missing out on my family.” The sad part? She wasn’t even killing herself over her own goals: “The goals [of the company] were not aligning with mine. I was there to help them make money. It was time to admit that and create a new path.”

Feel the fear and do it anyway. Don’t be scared to start from scratch. You’ve got yourself to rely on and everything to gain. Fear means that change is afoot; which is a good thing. The magic begins outside your comfort zone, not in it.

Master what you love. In the words of Abraham Lincoln, “Whatever you are, be a good one.” As with anything, you’ll pour work into that passion if you want to make it profitable. Arm yourself with the essential education, expertise, and networks.

Engage and build your network. Julia encourages fledgling entrepreneurs to leverage “the friends and family program”–the existing network of relationships who want to work with you and broadcast your name. In other words, your “surround sound system”, as she calls it. Stop fretting about the relationships you don’t have yet, and instead, leverage and nurture those you do. It can be your greatest support system for the next two to three years.

The Payoff.

Call it a glimpse of the promised land. The ‘what you’ll have to look forward to’ image. Ten years after leaving corporate America behind, Julia owns a spectacular branding company with a great team and a client-driven mission. Named among some of the best women entrepreneurs in the Americas, she won entry into the prestigious EY Entrepreneurial Winning Woman program. Best of all, she does what she loves and spends time with the people who matter most.

Julia launched a freelancing career using her expertise, network, and attitude. She could choose her clients, her working hours, and her office location. Most importantly, she was free to chase her dreams and goals.

Now don’t get me wrong–striking out on your own doesn’t mean walking down easy street. No. You’ll work hard. There’s a joke stating entrepreneurs have freedom… so they can choose whichever 23 hours a day they wish to work.

But as I can attest after 30 years of doing it myself. And as Julia confided to me, it’s flat-out worth it.

By choosing to open another door, you immerse yourself in a whole new world of opportunities. You quickly learn that every challenge will result in one of two things: a victory or a lesson. But remember what you’re in it for. A big distinction, Julia notes, between unfocused, indecisive entrepreneurs who need too much hand-holding and the businesspeople who “have it together.” Realize how the business ticks, research your market, and streamline your strategy.

One of the greatest rewards is the legacy you live and leave behind. “I’m immensely proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish,” Julia states. “And I love it when women come up to me and say, ‘You’re my role model. This is something that I dream of doing. Thanks for showing that it can be done.’”

Being an inspiration by doing what you love and believe in? Talk about a win-win.

]]>http://mightywisemedia.com/a-three-step-formula-on-how-to-shun-corporate-life-to-start-your-own-business/feed/0How To Break From Corporate America And Build Your Own Businesshttp://mightywisemedia.com/how-to-break-from-corporate-america-and-build-your-own-business/
http://mightywisemedia.com/how-to-break-from-corporate-america-and-build-your-own-business/#respondTue, 30 Dec 2014 00:29:59 +0000http://mightywisemedia.com/?p=5454Julia Beardwood woke up one day–and like many chained to a corporate job, she bled unhappiness.
But unlike many who yearn for change and don’t do anything about it, Julia took a different road.
Call it a road of action.
As founder and owner of Beardwood & Co., she reigns as an expert brand strategist and entrepreneurial fireball. Ranked among EY’s Entrepreneurial Winning Women in 2013, she’s dedicated, driven, and focused. She fulfills any checklist with the name: ‘10 Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs’. All of which stands marvelous and praiseworthy—but counts as only part of her story.
Julia’s story begins with unhappiness locked behind a desk in corporate America. With a little whisper in her ear asking, “What reallymatters?” Since Beardwood & Co. celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, she gives us ten keys to her success:
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Julia Beardwood woke up one day–and like many chained to a corporate job, she bled unhappiness.

But unlike many who yearn for change and don’t do anything about it, Julia took a different road.

Call it a road of action.

As founder and owner of Beardwood & Co., she reigns as an expert brand strategist and entrepreneurial fireball. Ranked among EY’s Entrepreneurial Winning Women in 2013, she’s dedicated, driven, and focused. She fulfills any checklist with the name: ‘10 Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs’. All of which stands marvelous and praiseworthy—but counts as only part of her story.

Julia’s story begins with unhappiness locked behind a desk in corporate America. With a little whisper in her ear asking, “What reallymatters?” Since Beardwood & Co. celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, she gives us ten keys to her success:

1. Listen to Your Intuition.

Ten years ago, Julia was spending too much time away from her family, chasing other people’s dreams. “I wasn’t happy,” Julia explains simply. She decided she was done chasing other people’s goals and watching her children grow up into strangers. As far as Julia was concerned, she just had one life to live. She listened to her gut, jumped ship, and left corporate America behind.

2. Follow Your Passion…

What do you love? Passion and excellence often go hand-in-hand. Think back to a time you chased something that you wholeheartedly believed in. You didn’t give yourself a Plan B. You didn’t stop until you achieved it. If you don’t believe in something, how hard do you think you’re going to fight for it?

3. …And Excel In It.

Staying in the same niche, Julia was already armed with a tremendous amount of branding experience and expertise. To make it on your own, you need to know what you’re doing. Can you rely on yourself, market yourself, and produce what you promise? Your reputation marks your foundation–so make it powerful. It’s not about knowing everything; it’s about knowing what you’re doing. Follow your heart, but take your brain with you.

4. Don’t Let Others Define You.

Julia appreciated her job, but dreamed different dreams. “I was there to help them make money; it was their goal. My goal was to enjoy the work I was doing, do it well, and spend time with my family. I hated the idea that my sons were going to go off to college and I wouldn’t really have seen them.” Why do we automatically swallow other people’s jobs and dreams as our own? Define what makes you happy. Decide on your own definition of ‘success’. To pioneer your own life might sound scary, but trust me—to let others define your life’s purpose equals a far scarier existence.

5. Take Risks.

Clients flocked to Julia, happy to hire a top-quality freelancing expert without the expensive middleman. Then they started asking for more. “I would do a piece of brand strategy work for the client, and then he’d say, All right Julia, that was great. Now can you help me implement this? I tend to say yes. So I said, “Yeah, I could do that.” Julia scrabbled to put the pieces together. She created virtual teams from people whom she knew in the business. In time, they would become an official company. Julia hadn’t initially planned Beardwood & Co–she simply realized that all winners are problem-solvers.

6. Enlist Help.

When you decide to tackle something new, it doesn’t mean you head off alone into the battlefield. Julia outsourced client requests that she didn’t have the time or knowledge to tackle. Call it a pyramid of helping hands—a person lifting someone up by simultaneously being lifted by someone else. As an old African proverb says, “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.”

7. Network.

Julia calls networking “the bedrock” of success. Build your “surround sound system”: the people who ignite the word-of-mouth success of your business. Transform your customers and allies into your ambassadors. “Obviously,” Julia adds, “I had to be very careful because I was leaving a large employer and there was absolutely no way I could leverage those relationships initially.” Treading that tightrope, she won new clients without jeopardizing her relationship with previous employers.

8. Reinvent Yourself.

Julia realized she could be a subject matter expert and leader; so she went with it. “I tell [my clients] that I’m good at two things. I’m good at brand strategy and I’m good at bringing together teams of people to do whatever they need to get done.” Her clients love her dual ability to solve strategic challenges and create custom teams curated for their needs.

9. Focus.

How do you eat your dinner? You can shove ten forkfuls in your mouth and choke to death, or you can tackle them one bite at a time. Focus singularly and wholeheartedly. Don’t underestimate yourself, but don’t underestimate the demands of your clients, either. When coaching young entrepreneurs, Julia notes the biggest stumbling-blocks: poor time management and lack of focus. Without self-discipline and focus, success slips through their fingers like water.

10. Be Trustworthy.

Build upon social proof and your “surround sound system”, but have something to build upon first. In order to radiate authenticity, you have to be authentic. Julia calls it being “brutally honest”, though she’s gained a reputation for pointing out what’s wrong in the nicest possible way. She sells creative and strategic services—and something even more important: the guarantee of solutions. People need to trust you’re able to help them. If they believe in you, they’ll hire you.

Julia Beardwood reminds us of what really matters. Discovering a formula of following your heart, honing your brain, and staying true to yourself. It includes that secret sauce which makes certain entrepreneurs—certain people—glitter like diamonds in the rough.

]]>http://mightywisemedia.com/how-to-break-from-corporate-america-and-build-your-own-business/feed/012 Ways To Avoid Looking Clueless On Social Mediahttp://mightywisemedia.com/12-ways-to-avoid-looking-clueless-on-social-media/
http://mightywisemedia.com/12-ways-to-avoid-looking-clueless-on-social-media/#respondSat, 06 Dec 2014 23:58:38 +0000http://mightywisemedia.com/?p=5442
Another leader, celebrity, or athlete makes a faux pas on social media.
Angry tweets. Drunken YouTube videos. Thoughtless Facebook posts.
The sad part? We can still look foolish as entrepreneurs even without stepping off the deep end of stupidity like the above. But how can we avoid this cluelessness on a day-to-day basis with our social media efforts?
Fear not, Guy Kawasaki to the rescue. (And yes–the man has almost ten million collective followers across his social media platforms, so we best listen.)
After chatting with him over email a few weeks ago, he shot me an advanced copy of his newest book.
Deep in the heart of The Art Of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users (co-authored with Peg Fitzpatrick), he provides 12 things we should never do as entrepreneurs on social media:
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You see it every day.

Another leader, celebrity, or athlete makes a faux pas on social media.

Angry tweets. Drunken YouTube videos. Thoughtless Facebook posts.

The sad part? We can still look foolish as entrepreneurs even without stepping off the deep end of stupidity like the above. But how can we avoid this cluelessness on a day-to-day basis with our social media efforts?

Fear not, Guy Kawasaki to the rescue. (And yes–the man has almost ten million collective followers across his social media platforms, so we best listen.)

After chatting with him over email a few weeks ago, he shot me an advanced copy of his newest book.

Good start. Kawasaki uses a kind word here to describe what I sit on as I write this. Rudeness. Racism. Or plain acting obnoxious is no good for our personal brands as entrepreneurs. It seems obvious, but two years ago I wrote an article on meeting Chris Brogan. He had been following my comments on Twitter at a small business conference. An unnamed entrepreneur called me out as a failure publicly on Twitter because Brogan only followed 4 people at the time and I wasn’t one of them. Except Brogan wasn’t following me, he was following the hashtag of the conference. And thus, he was following everything I wrote. Oops, orifice.

2. “Don’t Tell People What To Share”

Seth Godin would tell us to focus on creating something great. To look to our own innovation and focus on our own backyard. Constantly worrying about what others are doing, and thus attempting to sway what they share and with whom, stacks up as a waste of time. Yes–we can ask them to share something we’ve created of value to their audience. But by no means should we tell them what to, and what not to, share.

3. “Don’t Buy Followers and Likes”

For $29 you can buy 1,000 Twitter followers. Yes–tempting when you’re first starting and have zero. And yes–even the best of us can cave. My first thousand followers on Twitter three years ago came from a paid ‘machine.’ It automatically followed my targeted audience of entrepreneurs and business owners, then would ‘unfollow’ those who didn’t follow me back. Rinse and repeat until I hit 1,000. Shame on me. Although it’s now grown to over 12,000 organically, I had not the wisdom of Kawasaki to listen to as a first-timer. You do.

4. “Don’t Ask People To Follow You”

Big difference between listing your social media links on your website or email signature vs. meekly asking people to follow you. Big sign of weakness, and as Kawasaki says; “Don’t grovel for followers, but instead, earn them with the quality of your posts.”

5. “Don’t Ask People To Reshare Your Posts”

Again, a sign of weakness and pretty much another waste of time. If you’re creating amazing work, posting helpful information, and 100% focused on delivering value to your audience, the sharing will take care of itself. Case in point, this tweet of mine from earlier this year. Helpful for entrepreneurs. Helpful for you. I asked not a soul to reshare it:

What? I didn’t know people did that. Announcing those who unfollow us makes no sense. Ever. In fact, if we’re even paying attention to those who unfollow us–we must stop. For in the grand picture of pursuing our dream businesses and building something that matters, we have better things to focus our time on instead of something this silly.

7. “Don’t Ask Why People Unfollowed You”

Again, hard to imagine entrepreneurs doing this. But again, since we are no longer paying attention to this metric anyway (see #6), then this comes off the table immediately.

8. “Don’t Be A Pimp”

I watch entrepreneurs and businesses break this rule every day. Constantly promoting our products, services, and ‘stuff’ becomes pimping. Don’t do it. Aim instead for sharing value. Tips for your followers. Re-tweeting other helpful information which speaks to their needs. If every post you publish does nothing more than push more of your own products, you’re officially handcuffed and off to the social media pokey.

9. “Don’t Swear”

Funny guy, that Kawasaki. In the book, immediately after he states this rule, he uses profanity. But his point is this: don’t do it over social media. Look–if using colorful language is somehow part of your brand (yes–talking to you Howard Stern), congratulations. I don’t get it, but whatever. However, according to Kawasaki, when you swear over social media, you sound “inarticulate and clueless.” Ouch.

10. “Don’t Call Yourself A Guru Or Expert”

Tempting to do it, I’ll admit. But Kawasaki says don’t. Yes–we can be experts. And should be. But slapping that label on our own forehead doesn’t work. Turns people away. Yuck. So just do your thing. Be the best at what you do, and wait instead for others to label you as such.

11. “Don’t Abdicate To An Agency”

Instead of conveying in my own words, I defer to Kawasaki on this one because, quite frankly, he nails it: “If you hire a digital agency that puts ten people in a ‘war room’ to ‘measure sentiment’ along your ‘brand ethos’ and then needs forty-five days to compose a tweet, this book has failed you.” Enough said.

12. “Don’t Delegate Your Social Media To An Intern”

Would you outsource your customer service team to untrained interns? Of course not. Thus, so goes it with your social media accounts. It’s your voice. Your connection to the world. Your brand. So either handle it yourself (which many top level entrepreneurs do), or find someone qualified to handle it. And yes–this isn’t about interns per se, it’s more about taking it seriously and not allowing rookies to handle your voice.

As for Kawasaki’s other 111 tips on how to rock social media? You’ll have to grab the book yourself.

Happy reading...

]]>http://mightywisemedia.com/12-ways-to-avoid-looking-clueless-on-social-media/feed/0Against All Odds: How One Woman Built A $5M Business From Bankruptcyhttp://mightywisemedia.com/against-all-odds-how-one-woman-built-a-5m-business-from-bankruptcy/
http://mightywisemedia.com/against-all-odds-how-one-woman-built-a-5m-business-from-bankruptcy/#respondThu, 13 Nov 2014 02:44:44 +0000http://mightywisemedia.com/?p=5416Think you have it tough in business? Lisa Williams has it tougher.
As Founder and CEO of World of EPI, Williams walked through the valley of business death. Bankruptcy. Loneliness. Depression.
But now she sits with a $5M company poised to launch to the next level. But how do you start, grow and scale a great company? As a member of the EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women program, I jumped on a call with Williams to learn the keys to her journey and how she plans to crush it moving forward;
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Think you have it tough in business? Lisa Williams has it tougher.

As Founder and CEO of World of EPI, Williams walked through the valley of business death. Bankruptcy. Loneliness. Depression.

But now she sits with a $5M company poised to launch to the next level. But how do you start, grow and scale a great company? As a member of the EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women program, I jumped on a call with Williams to learn the keys to her journey and how she plans to crush it moving forward;

Escape The Fear Of Living Small

Williams was sitting pretty. Crowned the first female professor to receive a multi-million-dollar endowed chair and the first African-American female professor to earn tenure at Penn State University — she was easily banking six figures in salary. So why leave such a cushy situation and risk it all on a startup? Fear.

Williams explained: “My family and friends thought I lost my mind. But what drives me is the fear of living small. If I allow my current comfort level of success to hold me there, then I’m living small. Your goal is not just to achieve a certain rung on the sphere of influence, but to constantly impact humanity on the largest scale possible.”

Turns out this trait is a key factor for entrepreneurial success. Think about it — those who dare to think big and take bold steps are more likely to build wildly successful companies. You can’t do it sitting on the couch feeling all comfy with your current situation. Think big. Act bold.

Focus On Your Public Profile

Let’s face it — if nobody knows you — you’re toast. You read about the movers and shakers in business on Forbes and CNN. You watch them on CNBC. Their faces and stories etched in your mind.

Bottom line? Smart entrepreneurs work on their public profiles. According to Williams; “It’s incredibly important for not only product and brand awareness, but as a way to inspire others to achieve. If I can come through people walking out on me, being called crazy and walking through bankruptcy, anybody can do it. Our journey through entrepreneurship is part of our profile.”

Imagine it this way: when you focus on building your public profile, momentum takes over. You become known. More people reach out. Your connections and influence grow. Your message gets heard and your brand becomes aligned with you the entrepreneur. Then suddenly, it’s your face and story people have etched in their minds.

Get Your Nose Out Of The Bark

Can’t see the forest through the trees? Most entrepreneurs struggle with this. Matters not the size of your company — if you fail to work on your business instead of in it — prepare for disaster. Michael Gerber defined this in his book ‘The E-Myth Revisited’ and Williams agrees this was a huge mistake she made:

“I never understood before. I always thought I have to do this. I have to work sun up to sun down. I have to work every weekend. But then I realized I was just working in my business as opposed to stepping back, extending the vision and growing it from a higher level. I get it now.”

Williams explained she takes every Wednesday off as a primary way to meditate, think bigger and build a bolder strategy. Yes — she gets her nose out of the bark to work on her business.

Connections To Advisors Are Everything

No man or woman is an island.

It takes a village.

There is no ‘I’ in ‘team’.

My point with the clichés? Advisors, mentors and counselors are a must. Wise entrepreneurs surround themselves with people smarter than they. Yes — as my entrepreneur friend Matthew Kimberly would say, they aim to be the “dumbest person in the room.”

Williams takes it one step further: “Not only do you need strategic people to help you grow the company, one of my great lessons is as your company expands and grows, your team of advisors has to expand and grow. Their knowledge base has to expand and grow. We have some amazing people along for the ride, but the people shift as the stages of our company shift.”

The take-away? Build a system to find and recruit an ongoing stream of smart advisors. Aim to be the dummy.

Money, Money, Money

Williams has a higher calling. A bigger purpose to serve her customers with undying passion. But if she plans to scale her business to reach that calling — she must have capital.

Scaling a business is tough enough — but trying to do so without adequate financing equals business suicide. Because Williams has focused on expanding her relationships and connections, it’s brought opportunity to evaluate financing strategies for expansion.

In fact, look at how it works for successful entrepreneurs: You stop living small and start thinking big. You take bold steps. You focus on building a larger public profile. You work on the bigger picture of your business. You connect with other influencers and advisors. You get introduced to even more powerful connections. You become known and trusted. Investors, bankers and other financial advisors come calling.

Williams is courting investors as we speak. A seven figure deal to take her company to the next level. Only four years removed from the deep abyss of bankruptcy.

Yes — if she can do it, you can too.

]]>http://mightywisemedia.com/against-all-odds-how-one-woman-built-a-5m-business-from-bankruptcy/feed/0Why Seth Godin Scares Me: The Final Three Reasons Entrepreneurs Failhttp://mightywisemedia.com/why-seth-godin-scares-me-the-final-three-reasons-entrepreneurs-fail/
http://mightywisemedia.com/why-seth-godin-scares-me-the-final-three-reasons-entrepreneurs-fail/#respondSun, 09 Nov 2014 19:43:20 +0000http://mightywisemedia.com/?p=5410Final Chapter of Godin Almighty.
Yes — Seth Godin shared nine powerful tips with me. Six of which I’ve already share with you here and here on Forbes.
If you’re just tuning in, I’ll reset the stage: As I sat 24 inches from this legend in a dimly lit room backstage, just the two of us alone in our own little world, I probed as deep as I dare go into his brilliant mind.
Godin had just finished a 60 minute presentation at Infusionsoft’s annual conference called ICON14 for 3,000 entrepreneurs and small business owners.
As I sat face-to-face with Godin, he gave me the final three lessons for entrepreneurial success:
]]>

Final Chapter of Godin Almighty.

Yes — Seth Godin shared nine powerful tips with me. Six of which I’ve already share with you here and here on Forbes.

If you’re just tuning in, I’ll reset the stage: As I sat 24 inches from this legend in a dimly lit room backstage, just the two of us alone in our own little world, I probed as deep as I dare go into his brilliant mind.

Godin had just finished a 60 minute presentation at Infusionsoft’s annual conference called ICON14 for 3,000 entrepreneurs and small business owners.

As I sat face-to-face with Godin, he gave me the final three lessons for entrepreneurial success:

But what else is happening at the same time? Yes — it’s the development of your story.

Like Yin and Yang, your remarkable product must come with a story. TOMS Shoes works because of founder Blake Mycoskie’s story. The remarkable shoes are one thing, but what ties it together in a nice bow is the story behind the shoes. How the shoes came to pass. What happens when a customer buys a pair. How the lives of children are transformed.

Godin agrees: “It’s about creating a story that’s true. Those are the two key elements. So if it’s not a story, if it doesn’t resonate with me, I’m not interested. If it’s not true, then you’re dead.”

Unless you’ve been in a cave for the past thirty years, when I say ‘Apple’, you know at least some of the story and lore. Steve Jobs. Think different. One more thing…

Story makes it work. Sure, the products are remarkable. But the story ties it all together.

Networking Is Dead

Well, maybe not dead. But Godin definitely feels too many people play the networking game as a sole strategy for growth and awareness.

“If you have an average product for average people, but a better network than the other guy, you will win because you’re bringing trust that goes with your average product for average people. But the problem is too many people are playing that game.There are too many people trying to build up likes and followers. That’s not how it works anymore.”

Godin continues: “So the opportunity is to invent a new thing, a new solution that in itself is remarkable as opposed to relying on this ever spiraling networking up, which just doesn’t scale.”

So yes — build your network. But dear God, not at the expense of building something remarkable and having a story to share.

Don’t Be Consciously Incompetent

What? When I first heard this phrase from business owner Joe Braun, I wasn’t sure what it meant. But if you think about it, we all have blind spots, right? We don’t know the things we don’t know. Call it ‘unconsciously incompetent.’ That’s why surrounding ourselves with key advisors, mentors and coaches is imperative to our success. To point out our blind spots.

But what happens when they do and we refuse to lift a finger to do anything about it? Welcome to the ‘consciously incompetent.’

To prove this out, I asked Godin a final question before we shook hands and parted ways. Namely, I asked what book of his a struggling entrepreneur should read if he/she could only pick one.

Eyes piercing into mine, he said: “If you’re a struggling entrepreneur, how dare you say you can only read one book to fix your business. You should not just read ten of my books, but you should read Simon’s (Sinek) books, Zig’s (Ziglar) books, and Pam’s (Slim) books. And you should read a book a day from the library, they’re free, until you’re not a struggling entrepreneur anymore.”

Yikes. Time to step out of the consciously incompetent tribe into the competent one.

Final Note

You think you have a platform to worry about? Godin has it 100 times worse. With over 1,000,000 subscribers to his blog and multiple New York times best-selling books to his credit, he carries the burden of it. You can see it weighs on him. A greater responsibility than any of us dare imagine.

And yes — it does keep him up at night in a cold sweat. He doesn’t want to blow it. He wants to impact the world for good. And he cares enough to do it one person at a time.

Which brings me to the most memorable moment from my 30 minutes with Godin. It wasn’t the pressure I felt fumbling around with my recording device. It wasn’t his piercing stare ready to eat me alive with my questions. It was his sincere care for my 16 year old daughter Danika, whom he met just 29 minutes prior.

Godin cares whether she follows her dreams in life. He cares whether our American school system is going to mess her up. He cares about her life.

And he genuinely cares about yours. That’s why he’s a man with demons. He knows he can’t blow this gift in his life. Because it’s the gift of being able to show you how to reach the dreams of yours.

So don’t blow it for Godin. Please don’t count yourself as one who won’t do a darn thing with his wisdom. Get up and take action in your life. Your business. And build something great.

Today.

]]>http://mightywisemedia.com/why-seth-godin-scares-me-the-final-three-reasons-entrepreneurs-fail/feed/03 More Lessons From Seth Godin: How To Build A Wildly Successful Businesshttp://mightywisemedia.com/3-more-lessons-from-seth-godin-how-to-build-a-wildly-successful-business/
http://mightywisemedia.com/3-more-lessons-from-seth-godin-how-to-build-a-wildly-successful-business/#respondSun, 09 Nov 2014 19:34:46 +0000http://mightywisemedia.com/?p=5406The Return of Godin Almighty.
Yes — Seth Godin shared nine powerful tips with me. Three of which I’ve already shared with you here on Forbes.
If you’re just tuning in, I’ll set the stage: As I sat 24 inches from this legend in a dimly lit room backstage, just the two of us alone in our own little world, I probed as deep as I dare go into his brilliant mind.
Godin had just wrapped a 60 minute presentation at Infusionsoft’s annual conference called ICON14 for 3,000 entrepreneurs and small business owners in attendance.
As I sat with Godin in a dimly lit room backstage, he gave me three more lessons for entrepreneurial success:
]]>

If you’re just tuning in, I’ll set the stage: As I sat 24 inches from this legend in a dimly lit room backstage, just the two of us alone in our own little world, I probed as deep as I dare go into his brilliant mind.

Godin had just wrapped a 60 minute presentation at Infusionsoft’s annual conference called ICON14 for 3,000 entrepreneurs and small business owners in attendance.

As I sat with Godin in a dimly lit room backstage, he gave me three more lessons for entrepreneurial success:

Build Remarkable Products

What matters more, shouting from the rooftops about our products, or actually building products and services worth shouting about?

Godin swears by the latter. “Almost all my books are about making a better product. Make something that some people decide is worth talking about. It’s not up to you. It’s not up to me. It’s up to them. So ask how we can make better art and raise the bar even more than we already have.”

If we are building junk products, and then expecting some of the greatest marketing in the world to save us, we might as well go home and watch TV.

Building remarkable products should become a central part of our strategy. Innovation. A key word used a thousand times by business legend Peter Drucker.

In fact, lack of innovation kills. Clayton Christensen’s book, Innovator’s Dilemma, bursts with examples aplenty of companies who failed miserably in this department.

As entrepreneurs, we must put product development on a pedestal. Focus on it. Rally our teams around it.

Otherwise, we have zero to shout about.

First Ten, Then Twenty

Do you believe Mark Zuckerberg set out to gain one billion users when he first started Facebook? Not.

He did as Godin preaches. Zuckerberg found ten lonely hearts at Harvard who loved his platform. Who then told ten friends, and so on, and so on.

Call it niching down to reach a billion.

Godin told me: “If you can find ten people and solve their problem in a way that’s so generous they can’t help but tell other people, then you’ll have twenty. General Motors and General Electric try to rule where vast audiences exist and they can target. But the opportunity for this new generation of entrepreneur is to say, ‘Where are ten people, twenty people, who would not be able to rest until they brought me more people if I did this work?’ Unless you ask yourself this question, it’s really unlikely you’re going to make something remarkable.”

Of course, this might run counter to your intuition and drive as an entrepreneur. But listen closely to Godin here, if you struggle or are just starting out, “do not aim for a bigger market.” No — first, ten.

Fail Until You Get It Right

Scared of failure, we run from it. Our families don’t like it. Neither do our investors, team members and partners.

But this is crazy. How in the world can we begin to figure out how to solve the problems of our customers without risk? Trying new things. Testing. And yes–failing.

Godin agrees: “You want to interact face to face with the market and are willing to be wrong and learn from it. So what real entrepreneurship is about is having good taste. It’s being able to look at a problem and solve it in a way that makes other people glad you did.”

Godin continues: “That’s an art. It’s not a science. It’s by asking in the street, by looking people in the eye and saying, ‘What if we try this?’ By being in the world and failing again, and again, and again, until you learn what resonates with people.”